Running head CHAPTER 10

Bailey James
Philosophy of Classroom Management
Salt Lake Community College
Oct 30, 2015

CHAPTER 10

My philosophy for classroom management philosophy is much like my philosophy of

education and teaching. It takes an effective teacher; one who is able to make each student feel
like they can succeed and provide them with every possible opportunity to do so. In the hopes to
become an effective teacher, I will work on being more adaptable in preparing and organizing
lesson content so it connects with all of my students at all types of levels. Teaching through the
portrayal of personal values and attitudes, as well as enthusiasm for my subject, I hope to
positively influence my students throughout their lives. As a teacher, I want to cater my lesson to
my students interests and strengths, yet also strive to make every student feel important and
valued on a personal level. In my opinion, this can only be done through the creation of a warm
and engaging teaching environment.
In regards to classroom management, I believe an effective teacher cannot connect with
their students nor connect their students with information unless the classroom environment is
safe, orderly, and focused on learning. In order to create and maintain such an environment,
teachers must develop, what I believe is, the five most important components to any wellmanaged classroom. Creating positive and fulfilling student-teacher relationships, accepting and
embracing student diversity, producing well-organized lesson, effective management of student
behavior, and arranging a warm physical learning environment. Therefore, I must organize my
lessons and determine a successful method for easy transitions of content that ensure the
engagement of my students.
Getting to know my students is crucial to becoming an effective classroom manager. How
else will I know how they learn; or how to engage them and reward them? Palumbo & Sancore
(2007) state that students learn more effectively when the lessons are well match with students

CHAPTER 10

strengths and needs, and getting to know the students as individuals is the only way Ill finds
these needs out. In addition, students getting to know me as their teacher is just as important.
Students will be more motivated to listen and learn what I am attempting to teach, if they trust
my knowledge and respect my methods.
It is important that I embrace each of my students equally. I am planning on teaching
physical education in high school; therefore it is crucial as a secondary teacher to acknowledge
students as teenagers who are still discovering who they are, and who they want to be. They are
struggling to juggle the pressures of school, family, friends, personal values, their social lives,
and maybe extra-curricular activities, etc. Not only is it important to consider these factors, it has
a significant influence on the students cultural background. Like I mentioned before, by getting
to know my students, I can learn about their values, traditions, and language, as a way to create a
positive and inclusive learning environment.
Through the many college education courses I have taken, it is continually noted that
lessons are more effective when they encourage student interaction with one another. It gives the
students the opportunity to collaborate with their peers and discover new approaches to solving
problems, while keeping students more engaged with the lesson. I believe time management also
plays a key factor in lesson effectiveness. One easy way to save time during the class period is,
instead of waiting for students to be silent before taking role, do it during the lesson while the
students are working. By organizing my lessons accordingly for such tasks, my class will run
more smoothly and it will give the students less time for misbehavior or unattached learning.
Ideally, a well-planned lesson should lower the chances of students misbehaving,
however, sometimes that not the case. As a result, I plan to create a list of expectations and

CHAPTER 10

consequences that will be communicated to my students. In order for this to be effective, I will
really need to work on staying consistent with these rules and procedures. Although disciplinary
structures need to be in place, I intend to place more emphasis on catching students good
behavior and reinforcing that behavior with rewards. Much of the bad behavior seen from
students stems from unmet needs or lack of engagement. It is important that I am able to
recognize these signals so I can alter or change the activity to regain the students attention.
Students are responsive to their surrounding environment. My goal would be to make
sure my classroom a clean, safe, learning environment; where students feel invited and
comfortable being themselves. I love inspirational quotes, for which I feel having walls of
uplifting notes of inspiration in my classroom will help students focus on improving their
attitudes not only towards school work but other aspects of their life. I want my students to know
they have the power to control their own attitudes, their health, and their lives. I also think
displaying student work is important for personal growth and acknowledgement of excellence in
the classroom. Its something I feel is important to a students self-esteem and self-worth and will
better prepare them for future success in life.

CHAPTER 10

5
References

Kauchak, D., & Eggen, P. (2014). Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional (5th ed).
Florida. Pearson Education, Inc.
Palumbo, A & Sanacore, J. (2007). Classroom management: help for the beginning secondary
school teacher. The Clearing House. (81)2:67-70.